Power line stringing brake



y 1960 H. J. HROVAT 2,938,678

POWER LINE STRINGING BRAKE} Filed Jan. 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Henry J. Hrava/ 11v VEN TOR.

q Fig.8 BY gg gmqs y 1960 H. J. HROVAT 2,938,678

POWER LINE STRINGING BRAKE Filed Jan. 6, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 llr a A @1352) 6 29/ l /5 f 38 Henry J. Hra vol INVEN TOR.

United States Patent POWER LINE STRINGING BRAKE Henry J. Hrovat, 407 E. 11th St., Newton, Kans.

Filed Jan. 6, 1956, Ser. No. 557,675

3 Claims. (Cl. 242-451) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in wire stringing brakes for use by linemen in stringing power lines in areas of energized circuits, crossings, and wherever wire has to be kept under tension for stringing clearance. It also relates to the safety of men doing this kind of work, because of the provision for establishing a general connection with the brake.

An important object of the invention is to provide a wire stringing brake adapted for maintaining a desired tension on the wire as it is fed from a reel to a pole to keep the wire clear of objects or the ground or from running too freely.

Another object is to provide means for adjusting the tension of the wire according to the feeding demands thereof.

A further object is to provide means for easily and quickly attaching the brake to a pole in a desired elevated position.

A still further object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is strong and durable, eflicient and reliable in operation, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view;

Figure 2 is a top plan view;

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on a line line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken on a line 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is an end elevational View;

Figure 6 is an end elevational view of the opposite end of the brake;

Figure 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on a line 7-7 of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken on a line 88 of Figure 3;

Figure 9 is an enlarged perspective view of the bearing bracket for adjusting the friction gripping rollers; and

Figure 10 is an enlarged perspective view with parts shown in section showing the rollers assembled in the bracket.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a rectangular-shaped housing of relatively narrow construction and open at its top and bottom.

A pair of pulleys 6 and 7 are rotatably supported inside the housing on transverse bolts and nuts 8 and 9 selectively positioned in horizontal rows of openings 10 and 11 adjacent the lower side portions of the housing to adjust the pulleys longitudinally therein. A third pulley 12 is rotatably supported inside the housing substantially equidistantly between pulleys 6 and 7 on a bolt and nut 13 which is selectively positioned in a vertical row of openings 14 to adjust pulley 12 vertically.

A pair of plates 15 and 16 are welded respectively to the front and rear surfaces of the housing to project outwardly at one end thereof in spacedparallel relation to each other and a second pair of plates 17 and 18 are similarly secured to the other end of the housing. A channel-shaped bracket 19 is welded between each pair of plates to provide an upper flange 20 and a lower flange 21 having aligned openings 22 and 23 and aligned slots 24 and 25 and in which a pair of vertical rollers 26 and 27 are journaled in spaced parallel relation to each other and a pair of horizontal rollers 28 and 29 are journaled in a pair of plates in vertically spaced apart relation to each other to form an opening 30 between the pairs of vertical and horizontal rollers. Each roller is a roller bearing consisting of a steel pin housed with a cover 31 of hardened steel. The ends of the housing are provided with openings 32 and 33 aligned with the respective openings 30 between the rollers and the brackets 19 are also provided with an opening 34 aligned with the aforesaid openings.

The ends of one of the vertical rollers 26 project respectively above and below the upper and lower flanges of bracket 19 and are journaled in transverse openings 35 and 36 in upper and lower horizontal pins 37 and 38 which are slidable transversely in the pair of plates 15 and 16 and similar pins 39 and 40 are slidable in the pair of plates 17 and 18 to engage one of the adjacent vertical rollers supported therein.

'Each pin 37 and 38 and 39 and '40 includes a head 41 at one end positioned outside the plates and a coil spring 42 is held under a compression load on the other end of the pin between a wing nut 43 threaded on the pin and the adjacent plate.

A saddle 50 is secured to the back of the housing 5 by a bolt and nut 51 and the saddle is clamped to a pole 52 by a chain 53 which passes around the pole and through openings 54 in the saddle. The ends 55 and 56 of the chain are secured to telescoping sections 57 and 58 respectively of a chain tightening device which includes a feed screw 59 having a crank handle 60 and formed with a flange 61 which bears against one end of the telescoping section 57 and is threaded into the other telescoping section 58 to move said sections relative to each other in a chain tightening action.

In the operation of the device the housing 5 is attached to a pole 52 and a power line 62 is fed through the guide openings 30 formed by the vertical and horizontal pairs of rollers 26, 27, 28 and 29 and through the openings 32 and 33 in the ends of the housing for training the wire over the pulleys 6 and 7 and under pulley 12.

The adjustment of the vertical roller 26 in slot 24 by the bolts 37, 38, 39 and 40 and the positioning of the pulleys 6 and 7 in the openings 10 and 11, and the positioning of the pulley 12 in the openings 14 willincrease or decrease frictional engagement of the rollers with the wire to cause an effective braking action on the wire. In order to provide an important measure of safety, housing 5 may be grounded by a ground wire 63 connecting the housing grounding stud 65 to a ground rod 64.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occure to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A line brake comprising an elongated housing haviag-siaewam-ana ends with an opening ii each end to 7 receive a line for passing through the housing, a plurality of transverse spindles secured to said side walls, pulleys rotatably mounted on said spindles in the housing and over which the line is trained, a pair of vertical rollers and 'a pair of horizontal rollers mounted at each end of the housing, said'vertical rollers being spaced from each other and said horizontal rollers being spaced from each other and forming a guide opening therebetween aligned with the openings in the ends of the housing and through which the line passes, upper and lower spaced flanges protruding from said housing ends and having aligned slots, reduced'ends on said vertical rollers which are disposed in said slots, and spring pressed adjustable means to adjustsaid reduced'endsof one vertieal rolle'r or each pair, and means attaching the housing toa "supporting'structur'e.

2. A line brake comprising an elongated housing hav-' ing an opening in each end to receive a line for passing through the housing, a plurality of pulleys rotatably mounted in the housing and over which the line 'is trained, a pair of vertical rollers and a pair of horizontal rollers mounted'at each end of the housing, said vertical rollers beingcspaced from each other and said horizontal rollers being spaced from each other and forming a guide opening therebetween aligned with the openings in the ends 6f the housing and thi'oirghwhich irieiine'passes, a bracket secured to one end of said housing and having a pair of apertures in which one of said rollers is mounted and having a pair of slots in which the adjacent roller is mounted, resilient means connected with the ends of said roller which is mounted in said slots for adjusting the position of the last-mentioned roller, means for retaining said pulleys in selected positions in the housing and in an offset relation to each otherto vary'frictional travel of the line over the pulleys, and means attaching the housing to a supporting structure.

3. The construction of claim 1, wherein said attaching means comprises a saddle secured to the housing, a chain attached to the saddle for embracing the supporting structure, and tightening means for the "chain.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS as. 8,619 .Iadwin Mar. 11, 1379 617,516 Spi'ckle'r Jan. 10, 1899 1,941,250 Dale Dec. 26, 1933 2,262,364 Hugel et al Nov. 11, 1941 2,493,687 Mott -Jzifi. 3, "1950 2,657,879 Pike Nov. 3, 1953 2,783,025 Scheidt Feb. 26, 1957 2,808,716 Brunnen' :Oct. 8, 1957 

